Project Configuration
Projects define the display environment, and control values for resolution, aspect ratio, bit depth, scan mode, etc.
To create a project, from the Startup screen, under Project, click New to open the Create New Project dialog. At a minimum, set the
- Name and nickname.
- Volume.
- Resolution.
- Lustre Settings.
Click Create to create the project.
To edit a project, select it from the startup screen, or while running the application: application menu Project Settings
Manage. To delete a project, select it in the same way. The currently-loaded project cannot be deleted. Associated clips and setups are deleted with the project.
Speeding Up Flame Launch
Starting large Flame Family projects can take time takes longer than small projects. To speed things up, you can open Flame with every Library closed. Once Flame is started, you can open Libraries as needed.
Use one of the following steps to speed up launch:
- Hold SHIFT as you click Start on the Startup screen.
- Hold SHIFT as you click Load in the Project Settings dialog box inside the application.
- Hold SHIFT before the message Editdesk Initialising appears at application startup.
- Start the application from a terminal with the following option:
startApplication --closed-libs
- Set the environment variable before starting the application:
setenv DL_STARTUP_LIBS_CLOSED 1
Creating Storage Volume
In previous versions of Flame, Flare, and Flame Assist, you had to create the media storage volume in the Setup application, before using the Flame Family application.
Starting in version 2022, you create storage volumes from the Create New Project dialog.
To create a new Storage Volume:
Create a new project by doing on of the following.
- On the Startup screen, click Project
New.
- In the application, open Flame menu
Project Settings
Project
New.
- On the Startup screen, click Project
In the Volume section, click Add.
Click Browse.
Select the location of the storage volume, and click Set Path.
Note: Do not select the root of a drive as the media storage folder. Always create a folder to hold all media files in one place.Name your volume using Volume Name.
Volume Name is the name that appears in the Volume menu whenever you create a new project.
Click Create.
You can now finish setting up the parameters of your new project. Click Create when you are done.
Considerations
The storage volume is where the Media Cache and rendered frames are stored. Place the storage volume on a fast drive with plenty of space. Avoid using the system drive if possible.
You can create up to 8 different volumes. But more than one project can use the same storage volume: you are not limited to 8 projects.
On Linux, make sure the folder for your storage has all open permission (rwxrwxrwx) to avoid issues. Sub-folders will be created based on the umask of the Linux user creating the media.
On Linux, XFS is the default filesystem for CentOS and is the recommended filesystem for your storage volume. On macOS, the Apple File System (APFS) is the recommended filesystem.
Once a project is assigned a storage volume, you cannot change its storage volume.
Project Parameters
Name field
A name for the project. Names can be up to 120 characters long.
Nickname field
An alternate project name used for filenames when rendering files later.
Volume option
Select the Autodesk Media volume where the project will store its media cache and renders. Cannot be changed once the project is created.
Setup Directory options
Specify a custom directory for the project, or select another project's directory to share its setups. By default it is set to /opt/Autodesk/project/[Project Name]/, and can be changed. Default setups are copied from /opt/Autodesk/presets/[Version of the application]/cfg/[operating system]/template. Click to share setups with an existing project.
Setup Mode option
Click to copy project setups from an existing project, or leave it alone to create new setups for the new project.
Resolution Presets option
The delivery resolution for the project. When you select a resolution, a project configuration template appears in the Configuration Template box. The project configuration file primarily defines the display environment, and in no way restricts you from working with clips of another resolution. Setups are file-based resources such as effects settings and LUTs, and are managed in a set of subdirectories in the project's setup directory. The default project configuration template is loaded in Config Template. This can be useful if your monitor does not natively support the resolution of your project.
Width field
Enter a custom width, or drag on the field to modify its value. Sets the width of the Custom preset in the Resolution drop-down.
Height field
Enter a custom height, or drag on the field to modify its value. Sets the height of the Custom preset in the Resolution drop-down.
Aspect Ratio option
Select a default frame aspect ratio for the project. Select Set to w:h to use square pixels. Select Custom to use the aspect ratio defined in the Default Resolutions table for the project.
Aspect Ratio field
Enter a custom aspect ratio, or drag on the field to modify its value. When you do this, the Aspect Ratio box is set to Custom.
Bit Depth option
Select a default project bit depth. The bit depth for images rendered by the graphics card. If working with a mix of 8 and 16-bit resolutions, select 16-bit FP graphics display. Even when working with only with 8-bit images, results will be better with 16-bit FP graphics rendering when transparencies, blending, and gradients are part of an effect. 16-bit FP rendering takes longer. Projects from previous versions of the application with a graphics bit depth higher than 8-bit are mapped to 16-bit FP. Also, if your output is ultimately an 8-bit format, having the best possible quality immediately prior to output produces the best results.
Scan Mode option
Select a default project scan mode, which appears in various menus (for example, Resize) and is applied to newly rendered clips. This setting affects interlaced display on the broadcast monitor and field-based render processes. You can use this feature to temporarily monitor clips whose format does not match the scan mode of the current project; for example, to view a PAL clip in an NTSC project properly before reversing its field dominance.
Start Frame field
Sets the default Start Frame for new Batch Groups.
Config Template option
Select the project configuration file or template to associate to the project. It determines environment settings such as graphics monitor refresh rate and default frame rate for clip playback. Selecting a Resolution Preset loads the matching template in this box. Automatically sets the Default FCM. The project configuration file primarily defines the display environment, not the resolution of clips in the project.
Frame Rate option
Set the default Frame Code Mode (FCM) in menus that require an FCM. Also used as the default FCM when importing clips that lack an FCM, such JPEG sequences. Set by default to the FCM value associated to the selected Configuration Template.
Colour Policy option
Either Use a Preset to configure colour management settings using a policy selected from the Colour Policy box or Copy from another Project. Colour management settings used to configure the project.
Group option
Operating system user group to be used for the project. If the user is only in one group, only one group is displayed. In Linux, if more than one, choose which one to use for the project. In macOS the group must be set in the terminal before launching the application.
Add Volume
Add a new location to store the project media cache and renders. A Flame Family install can have up to 8 different media storage volumes.
Browse
Open a file browser to select the location to store the media cache and renders.
Volume Name field
Enter a name for the volume. This name is used throughout the application to refer to this media storage volume.
Shared
Allow Flame Family products to read media directly from the storage volume.
This improves access performance in scenarios such as accessing media of another Flame using MediaHub Projects. This option is useful in a SAN or NAS environment.
The device mount point must be identical on all stations that access this partition for this to work properly.
The shared partition must be defined on a single system and its mount point must be unique: no other system can define a partition using the same mount point.